Just a heads up. Was contacted yesterday by a potential buyer who asked no details. He started with "Is the FIREARM still available?" and in the same message, offered to PAYPAL me the money plus 3% . He advised he was out of town working but said he lived in a town 5 miles from me. He then stated we could meet this week at a local shop for paperwork. When I advised him I didn't do PAYPAL, but would hold it for a few days to meet in person, all communication ended. I Looked into his status and he was,a new member as of 3 weeks. Just a warning,before I retired from L.E., I saw a lot of this from Craigslist and am a little alarmed it is startingon here. Just be cautioned!

That or a very common one is they will cancel or dispute the payment after getting you to ship your item. Took dozens of those reports. Like I said. Very suspicious but not certain, so I won't bash the user name.

Sound advice. Also check any currency you receive to make sure it is not counterfeit. Same goes for money orders. If you do take a check wait several days for it to clear. Remember POSTED and CLEARED are two different things.

Sound advice. Also check any currency you receive to make sure it is not counterfeit. Same goes for money orders. If you do take a check wait several days for it to clear. Remember POSTED and CLEARED are two different things.

MO are the same way unless you get a USPS money order and cash it at the USPS.

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MO are the same way unless you get a USPS money order and cash it at the USPS.

I felt the same way but just did a large deal with MoneyGram MOs purchased at WalMart. I have read that Western Union MOs are often counterfeited (they own MoneyGram) and that you can deposit them and much later have the deposit reversed so I didn't just want to put them in my bank. Because these were marked as being purchased at WM, WM was willing to cash them on the spot. A little legwork, but no problem.

First of all, personally i wouldn't sell a FIREARM to someone thats only been on CG for a few weeks period.. Thats just me. So that would be much more sound advice in my opinion rather than the PP issue..
Sound judgement should be used anytime you buy or sell firearms and ammo , no matter how its paid for. Hell I dont like buying cars with a big wad of cash.. Never know who your gonna run into on the web. So While Im not dismissing the OP's concern here by any means, Im just saying PP is pretty low on the risk-scale if you know the buyer has a good reputation.

Sometimes you see something you don't have the cash for and want to slam it on a credit card. If the seller says no PP I'd say thanks and move along too..

Quote:

Originally Posted by thaiphob25

You guys are missing the point.

It is common paypal scam when people pay using paypal and then take possession of the item. Once they have the item in hand they go back and file a claim with paypal that the item was not recived and then paypal would take the money out of your account.

Thats why you take the money out first.. PP issues debit cards.. If they are meeting you with an ID that matches their PP info and an FFL has to do the transfer then whats the problem? And they cant file a complaint because they cant tell PP they bought a firearm.. And as far as theyre concerned your paying someone "for a service" to deliver something to a FFL for you..

Quote:

Originally Posted by sh1nk3n

This was attempted fraud. The fraudster is insistent that you give him your Paypal email address so he can send you a Paypal Transfer. He then sends you a phishing email that appears to be from Paypal that asks you to log in, and if you click through and log in, the fraudster then has your email address and your password. He then logs into Paypal using your login information and buys himself something nice. With your money.

Anyone dumb enough not to spot bogus email like this shouldn't be transferring money on the web anyway..

It is common paypal scam when people pay using paypal and then take possession of the item. Once they have the item in hand they go back and file a claim with paypal that the item was not recived and then paypal would take the money out of your account.

It is common paypal scam when people pay using paypal and then take possession of the item. Once they have the item in hand they go back and file a claim with paypal that the item was not recived and then paypal would take the money out of your account.

This^^

My buddies dad does on-line sales of stuff he imports from India. He stopped using PayPal (Amazon now only) because, he tells me, "PayPal always favors the buyer."

Burden of proof on the seller. Always demand shipping cost to include proof of delivery, or FTF cash only.

Then request it as a personal/gift payment. Can't recall or dispute a gift/personal payment. And don't put in any comments in the payment, let alone anything related to guns.

Besides, that would be the stupidest thing to do...paypal scam someone on a gun that's going through a PPT? Their information is going to be taken by the FFL. Scammers operate on anonymity - which just isn't possible here. Maybe if it were a state that didn't require a FFL to process it, but even then people have the option to take copies of IDs and write bills of sale.

Then request it as a personal/gift payment. Can't recall or dispute a gift/personal payment. And don't put in any comments in the payment, let alone anything related to guns.

Besides, that would be the stupidest thing to do...paypal scam someone on a gun that's going through a PPT? Their information is going to be taken by the FFL. Scammers operate on anonymity - which just isn't possible here. Maybe if it were a state that didn't require a FFL to process it, but even then people have the option to take copies of IDs and write bills of sale.

This isn't exactly true. I had a person pay part with Paypal Gift and the rest FTF cash, then disputed the transaction because he didn't recognize the charge on their account. I'm still awaiting Paypal to release my money, even though the person that paid with Paypal and myself did a three way call with Paypal letting them know that the charge was correct.

This was attempted fraud. The fraudster is insistent that you give him your Paypal email address so he can send you a Paypal Transfer. He then sends you a phishing email that appears to be from Paypal that asks you to log in, and if you click through and log in, the fraudster then has your email address and your password. He then logs into Paypal using your login information and buys himself something nice. With your money.

This was attempted fraud. The fraudster is insistent that you give him your Paypal email address so he can send you a Paypal Transfer. He then sends you a phishing email that appears to be from Paypal that asks you to log in, and if you click through and log in, the fraudster then has your email address and your password. He then logs into Paypal using your login information and buys himself something nice. With your money.

This was attempted fraud. The fraudster is insistent that you give him your Paypal email address so he can send you a Paypal Transfer. He then sends you a phishing email that appears to be from Paypal that asks you to log in, and if you click through and log in, the fraudster then has your email address and your password. He then logs into Paypal using your login information and buys himself something nice. With your money.

If anyone falls for those phishing emails, they deserve to get scammed.

When you get an email from paypal, open a new tab or window in your internet browser and go directly to paypal.com. Login from the home page and check your activity.

Someone once tried to scam me from craigslist using a spoofed paypal that claimed I got a payment. I verify this against my paypal records online and found no incoming money.

I guess maybe the fact that as soon as I refused paypal but stated I would meet in person, he disappeared. There was also much more including a bogus phone number (disconnected) and a few more. Just giving a heads up, I have personally seen these scams and the way they work. But from reading a few of the responses, I guess I am just not as intellectual as some so what do I know.

I have also ran into this with buyers for cycling parts. They want your email and info to gain access to accounts. I bet he was going to ask for you to ship even though he suposedly lived close. No problem taking PayPal with PPT, but caution with shipping. Wait extra until funds clear to bank and provide tracking.

I get what your saying but when I joined, my first was a WTB thread. I found what I was look for within 48 hours, met up, bought and DROS'ed. I'm sure there's a lot of good people who join to specifically search for or sell a gun.
Maybe a small amount of people looking to scam people aswell. I alway meet inside of a LGS.

Just a heads up. Was contacted yesterday by a potential buyer who asked no details. He started with "Is the FIREARM still available?" and in the same message, offered to PAYPAL me the money plus 3% . He advised he was out of town working but said he lived in a town 5 miles from me. He then stated we could meet this week at a local shop for paperwork. When I advised him I didn't do PAYPAL, but would hold it for a few days to meet in person, all communication ended. I Looked into his status and he was,a new member as of 3 weeks. Just a warning,before I retired from L.E., I saw a lot of this from Craigslist and am a little alarmed it is startingon here. Just be cautioned!

What do you have against paypal? Its a safe way to take and render a payment; if your buyer wants to submit payment, you can send him an invoice for the amount. He pays, you have your money, then you meet at a local shop.

Maybe he didn't have the cash and wanted to pay with credit card, paypal would be his best bet.

I have taken paypal payments by sending an invoice, buyers sending payment as goods, and scanning their credit cards with my phone reader at the local gun store when we did the PPT.

Might be time to step your game up and accept other forms of payment.

If you use paypal, the buyer can pay how ever he chooses and both the buyer and seller are protected.

What do you have against paypal? Its a safe way to take and render a payment; if your buyer wants to submit payment, you can send him an invoice for the amount. He pays, you have your money, then you meet at a local shop.

Maybe he didn't have the cash and wanted to pay with credit card, paypal would be his best bet.

I have taken paypal payments by sending an invoice, buyers sending payment as goods, and scanning their credit cards with my phone reader at the local gun store when we did the PPT.

Might be time to step your game up and accept other forms of payment.

If you use paypal, the buyer can pay how ever he chooses and both the buyer and seller are protected.

Their policy strictly forbids firearms, firearms parts and ammunition sales. They will lock up your account if it's discovered. Sometimes buyers get a little dimwitted and put info about the purchase in the transaction. Crawlers can flag certain words and cause a freeze. Why chance it?

Their policy strictly forbids firearms, firearms parts and ammunition sales. They will lock up your account if it's discovered. Sometimes buyers get a little dimwitted and put info about the purchase in the transaction. Crawlers can flag certain words and cause a freeze. Why chance it?

Okay: Make the payment applicable for everything that is allowed by paypal.

for example: If I wanted top sell you a shotgun and you wanted to pay using paypal. I could take payment for every part minus the receiver. Requires a little trust between buyer and seller.

Work it out when you meet face to face. Not a hard concept to grasp...

I am sure two people can figure out a "loop hole" to remain in compliance with paypal policy"

You do not need to list what goods you are purchasing... Have you ever seen the show "Carwash"?

I guy was selling a bong for $3000 that came with a pound or marijuana so he wouldn't be considered a drug dealer....

Firearm parts, including but not limited to receivers and frames, silencers, and kits designed to modify guns so that they fire automatically. High capacity magazines, multi-burst trigger activators, and camouflaging firearm containers are other items in this category.

They can change the rules on the fly when it comes to FA related items. That being said, I do use PayPal. I have been for years. Back and forth communication between buyer and seller can show you a rat pretty well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by keoni_taylor

Okay: Make the payment applicable for everything that is allowed by paypal.

for example: If I wanted top sell you a shotgun and you wanted to pay using paypal. I could take payment for every part minus the receiver. Requires a little trust between buyer and seller.

Work it out when you meet face to face. Not a hard concept to grasp...

I am sure two people can figure out a "loop hole" to remain in compliance with paypal policy"

You do not need to list what goods you are purchasing... Have you ever seen the show "Carwash"?

I guy was selling a bong for $3000 that came with a pound or marijuana so he wouldn't be considered a drug dealer....

Also, people that are claiming phishing emails and such. Is it that hard to pull up your own web page, go to your PayPal account and see if the money is in your account or not? If no money and you have an email, then you know it was fraud. I never check the emails from PayPal. I always just log in from a new web page. Been using PayPal for like 10 years, and not one issue.

The OP is right on track, this was a scam attempt; whether it was the "I got the goods but I'll tell PayPal that I didn't" or the identity theft version is not important.

Friends don't let friends use PayPal and thereby support their anti-gun position. Want to buy a firearm that I'm selling on Calguns? Show up face to face and pay cash. If I ever sell a firearm on Gunbroker, USPS Money Orders only (which can be easily verified by phone) and I'll ship it to your FFL after he sends me a signed in ink copy of his license.

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I am always super careful when I sell anything.
There are thieves, scam artists, etc.
I only like legitimate interested buyers. Who identify themself and have the money to buy.
And who have decided on the item I am selling. I don't need Lookie Lews.
dc

i always do my homework on people I am in socal and like to talk to people on the phone first before I paypal for LPK's and such in Nor Cal and I try to keep away from new members close to me for doing that stuff CASH ONLY FOR THEM F2F. For trusted friends just deposit to BofA or any large bank and theres your receipt no paypal fees or crap like that and u get a paper trail in case SHTF